MSC Aurea Experience Benefits & Is It Worth It?

Most people pick their MSC “experience” in about 30 seconds… and don’t realise it can completely change their cruise.

Unless you’re booking Yacht Club, you’ll be choosing between Bella, Fantastica and Aurea. Sounds simple. It isn’t. That one click affects your cabin location, dining flexibility, spa access and even which sun deck you can use.

Aurea looks like the obvious upgrade. Priority perks. My Choice dining. Exclusive areas. It feels more premium before you’ve even boarded.

But here’s the twist. Some of the benefits sound better than they actually are. And one of the headline perks? It’s not quite what people expect.

So is Aurea a smart upgrade… or money you’d be better spending elsewhere? Let’s break down what you really get.

Aurea Experience

The Aurea experience is one of several cruise packages guests can choose from when they book their MSC cruise. Of the three options (excluding Yacht Club, which is separate), it’s the most premium and gives the widest choice of cabins and the most perks.

There are a lot of reasons to choose Aurea as your cruise package, but you have to bear in mind that it does cost to upgrade – this isn’t something you’re getting for free.

So, you need to look at the various benefits you get with Aurea, and then decide whether it’s worth it or if you’d rather save money and book Bella or Fantastica.

It’s worth noting that Aurea is only available when you book a Balcony cabin or a Suite. You can’t book the Aurea experience with an Inside or Ocean View cabin.

Everything Included When You Book Aurea

The Aurea experience includes everything that the Bella and Fantastica packages include, but with better options for your cabin and dining times. It also has a host of extra perks.

Included with All MSC Experiences

Aurea-Only Benefits

Read more: What’s Included in MSC Cruises (And How Much is Everything Else?)

You Don’t Get a Drinks Package Included Anymore

The Aurea experience on MSC Cruises does not include a drinks package. It used to include the Easy drink package, which allowed guests to enjoy a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. This benefit was removed from the Aurea experience in 2022.

Now, the only free drinks that guests get with the Aurea experience are the welcome Prosecco in their cabin and suite on arrival. Guests will need to pay for their own MSC drinks package if they want one.

Nor Do You Get WiFi…

The MSC Aurea package does not include free WiFi. The only tier that includes free internet access is the MSC Yacht Club – all other guests will need to pay for their internet package if they want to get online.

Fantastic vs Aurea

MSC Fantastica is the mid-range experience on MSC Cruises – it doesn’t give you all the spa-related perks, and it doesn’t let you dine whenever you want to. It gives you some choice of cabin and dining time – more so than the Bella experience – but nowhere near as much flexibility as Aurea.

Experience Benefits	Bella	Fantastica	Aurea
Opportunity to choose your cabin and location	NO	YES	YES
The choice of the best Balcony cabins and Suites	NO	NO	YES
Change your cruise for a fee	YES	NO	NO
One Free Cruise Change	NO	YES	YES
Breakfast in cabin, including delivery	NO	YES	YES
Free 24-hour delivery for room service	NO	YES	YES
Discounted drinks package when you book	YES	YES	YES
Main Dining Room and Buffet restaurants included	YES	YES	YES
20% discount on speciality dining package	NO	YES	YES
Request your preferred dinner seating	NO	YES	NO
Enjoy dinner whenever you want with My Choice Dining	NO	NO	YES
Use of the pools, sports facilities and gym	YES	YES	YES
Live theatre shows	YES	YES	YES
Kids clubs	YES	YES	YES
MSC Voyagers Club loyalty points	YES	YES	YES
Priority boarding & luggage drop off	NO	NO	YES
Welcome package (Prosecco and chocolates)	NO	NO	YES
Free access to the Solarium	NO	NO	YES
Free access to the Thermal Spa	NO	NO	YES
Bathrobe & slippers in your cabin/suite	NO	NO	YES
Pillow menu	NO	NO	YES
10% discount on spa treatments on-board	NO	NO	YES

It’s Not a Fixed Cost

The cost of Aurea is not fixed – it depends on the cruise that you book, including the ship and the date. The price is flexible, and what you pay on one cruise might be different from what you pay on another.

As a guideline, expect Aurea to cost somewhere in the region of £100 ($135) to £500 ($680) more than a Bella experience, and around £50 ($68) to £250 ($340) more than a Fantastica experience.

There may be some occasions when you try to book a cruise, and Bella isn’t available. In that case, you’ll be told the Fantastica upgrade costs nothing, and the Aurea upgrade will only tell you the price difference between Fantastica and Aurea.

And on other times, you might find that Aurea is the only available option, and it costs nothing to choose it.

Don’t be fooled into thinking these are free upgrades. They aren’t. What this means is that the Bella and/or Fantastica experiences have sold out, and that Aurea is the only option left.

And the price you’ve been shown when booking your cruise already includes the upgrade fee for Aurea. You aren’t getting it for free, but it’s already been added to the fare you’ve been shown.

So just because it says “+£0” for Aurea, you are still paying for it.

Final Word

There’s no simple answer when it comes to deciding whether Aurea is worth it for your MSC cruise. It depends on a number of factors:

• How much the upgrade costs
• Where you prefer to eat during your cruise
• How much you care about your cabin
• Whether you’ll make use of all the perks

If you were looking for a cheap MSC cruise, then it’s not likely to be worth it. You’ll probably want an Inside or Ocean View cabin instead, which you can’t get with Aurea.

But if you want a Balcony cabin or a Suite, then definitely look at the Aurea prices. While you can book your own cabin of choice with Fantastica, you won’t have access to all the best locations on the ship.

The free delivery for room service is a nice perk if you’re planning on eating in your cabin or suite a lot, but it is only the delivery that’s free – you still need to pay for what you’re ordering. The spa access is probably a better benefit, but again, only for those who plan to use it.

Really, the main perks to focus on are the My Choice Dining and the ability to select your cabin location from all of the best spots. Cabin location can make a real difference in terms of the views you enjoy and your distance from facilities.

Suggested read: MSC Cabins to Avoid

And having the flexibility to eat dinner in the main dining rooms at a time that suits you, rather than one which is dictated to you, is something a lot of passengers prefer. You can plan your evening to suit you, rather than planning around when you have to eat.

In summary, you need to think about how much the Aurea upgrade costs against how much you’d make use of what it gets you. If it sounds like it’ll really improve your cruise, then go for it. Otherwise, maybe save money and choose Fantastica or even Bella.

Read more about the MSC Fantastica experience before you make your mind up.

Related Posts:

• MSC Bella Vs Fantastica Vs Aurea: Which To Choose?
• MSC Cruises Drinks Menus with Prices
• MSC Cruises Ships by Size, Age and Class